Mom arrested on charges linked to death of son
STAMFORD — Police say they have arrested the mother of a 2-year-old boy whose remains were found buried in Cummings Park last month, charging her with abuse and hindering prosecution.
Iris Rivera-Santos, 29, was charged Friday with risk of injury to a minor, hindering prosecution, tampering with evidence and cruelty to persons, Stamford Police Capt. Thomas Scanlon and Lt. Douglas Deiso said in a news release.
“These charges are the result of an extensive investigation that was conducted over the previous weeks in conjunction with the Stamford State’s Attorney’s Office,” the statement from police said.
Rivera-Santos was held by the Stamford police on a $1 million bond. She is scheduled to be arraigned in state Superior Court in Stamford on Monday, according to Scanlon.
On Jan. 2, 2023, police found the child dead in a plastic bag buried beneath a fresh patch of dirt in Cummings Park. The state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined the boy, Liam Rivera, died in a homicide caused by multiple bluntforce injuries to the head, according to police.
The boy’s father, Edgar Ismalej-Gomez, has been accused of the homicide and was apprehended within 24 hours of police locating the shallow grave.
During Ismalej-Gonez’s arraignment last month, Supervisory State’s Attorney Michelle Manning said the boy was discovered dead after the father went into his son’s room. Ismalej-Gomez, 26, refused to let the child’s
mother call an ambulance and placed the remains in a bag, which he buried in the park, Manning said.
Investigators believe Ismalej-Gomez then held Riera-Santos hostage at gunpoint for days while they drove to and from West Virginia. The mother was able to break free, purchase a phone and call her attorney, who contacted police and led officers to Cummings Park, Manning said in January.
Officers apprehended
Ismalej-Gomez in Stamford on Jan. 3 as he was getting into a cab headed for New York, Manning said.
Ismalej-Gomez was taken into custody on a probation violation and is expected to face more charges. He has not been charged in the boy’s homicide and remains in the custody of the state Department of Correction on a $3 million bond.
Stamford police said the investigation is a priority and remains active.
Before the child’s death, Ismalej-Gomez pleaded guilty in April 2021 to abusing Rivera when he was just 8 months old. He broke the toddler’s arm and, as part of his plea agreement, served 60 days of a five-year prison sentence.
During his three-year probation term, IsmalejGomez had not checked in with probation officials since June 2022 and gave them a fake address, officials said. The Judicial Branch Adult Probation unit obtained a warrant for his arrest last August, but it is unclear if police or probation officials were actively trying to find him.
Manning said in January that Ismalej-Gomez had been living with his son, the child’s mother and her two other children in the weeks before the homicide. However, a protective order prohibited Ismalej-Gomez from having any contact with his son.
At the time of his death, the child had been living with his mother under the court-ordered supervision of the Department of Children and Families. The agency last had contact with the family about a week before the killing and, during a home visit, “the children were assessed to be safe after being interviewed and were visible to family members and community partners,” Commissioner Vannessa Dorantes said in January. The family had not reported any contact with Ismalej-Gomez at the time.
After Ismalej-Gomez’s arrest, DCF officials said Rivera-Santos’ two other children were removed from her custody.
Ismalej-Gomez is next scheduled to appear in state Superior Court in Stamford on Feb. 8.